Whitepapers

Whitepapers

With winter weather delays a steady weekly occurrence this year, the impact on port productivity is high. One way to combat this, as well as setbacks that arise unrelated to weather, is a simple one that is complicated to put into practice. Timely and continual communication between all stakeholders can make a significant difference in alleviating issues, reported the Port Performance Task Force that examined operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey in 2013. This white paper looks at this and their other recommendations, as well as the initial process of implementation.

Air and ocean consolidation can provide strategic benefits for shippers. This white paper explores global consolidation options and the outcomes companies can expect when consolidating their freight.

It’s not always possible for companies to fill an entire container with their own export freight. Both small organizations that cannot wait to fill a container, and large ones with high value cargo, may have between 1 and 15 pallets to ship at a time. Air and ocean carriers require shippers to work with freight consolidators to accommodate small volume shipping needs.

With 85% of companies engaged in overseas operations, changes in labor rates and fluctuating fuel prices can have a major impact on profits and the global economy. That’s why it’s no surprise that over 76% of companies are reassessing their inbound supply-demand network to consider Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs).

This report on China will provide a broad but comprehensive view of the logistics challenges facing foreign firms in China these days. After looking at the changing landscape of opportunities in China -- new regions; more focus on consumers -- the report will analyze the multiple challenges of managing logistics effectively: The weaknesses in the country's infrastructure; the complex regulatory challenges -- including customs and trade compliance regulations that differ from location to location.

Finally, emerging best practices by leading foreign firms in China -- what are they doing right, and how can other firms profit from the lessons they have learned.

With the cost of manufacturing rising in Asia, many companies are turning to Mexico as they re-think their global supply chain strategies. Today’s shippers are sending more freight across the U.S./Mexico border as they expand their operations and customer base in Mexico. Working across the border is a challenge and shippers need to understand the risks involved. Third-party logistics (3PL) providers can help manage those risks and greatly simplify the cross-border process.

Having already become the world’s largest merchandise exporter, China’s economic growth no longer centers around expanding the nation’s presence in foreign markets. Although a wide range of U.S. companies — including small and midsize exporters — have flocked to China, most face a wide range of challenges in their efforts to maximize their opportunities. A recent study conducted by Amber Road found that, when it comes to compliance with Chinese regulations, fully 100 percent of their customers were concerned with “persistent issues” involving the management of their supply chains in China.

Download this whitepaper for an examination of the ins and outs of China’s trade regulations, including the role of Global Trade management, CTM case studies, best practices for working with local agents and more.

Increased globalization of the supply chain is causing shipments to spend more time in the transport and logistics pipeline, particularly the ocean. Often overlooked is the link between costs and intercontinental shipping event performance.

Approximately 45% of the nation’s imports pass through the gateways of Los Angeles and Long Beach with container volumes forecasted to more than triple between now and 2035. The Freight Advanced Traveler Information System (FRATIS) project is one effort underway to find solutions that will support port growth while improving productivity, mobility, air quality, and public health.

FRATIS is a public-private partnership designed to reduce the amount of time that trucks spend waiting to get into marine terminal yards by enabling the drayage company and marine terminal to exchange information in advance.

Visibility is a prerequisite to supply chain agility and responsiveness – in fact, new research from the Aberdeen Group found that 85% of companies plan to increase their current level of end-to-end supply chain visibility.

One of the greatest supply chain challenges that companies face is to reliably and profitably meet global demand. Outsourced manufacturing, lengthy global supply chains, a large number of suppliers, and volatile demand all create an environment where supply chain decision-makers worry that they can't deliver on promises they've made.

But companies with a strong assurance of supply program have confidence in their ability to fulfill demand. They're able to make dynamic, data-driven changes in the execution stage to counter disruption and volatility. These decisions are made possible by cloud-based supply chain technology.

Many businesses that were previously unable to invest in China are now gaining access to the booming economy thanks to the eased market restrictions provided by the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (PFTZ).

Microsoft recently set up PFTZ operations in order to access a $13.4 billion video game market, making them the first company to sell video game consoles in China since a ban in 2002.

Are you ready to take advantage of the benefits the PFTZ offers, but unsure how to get started? This white paper provides an overview of the PFTZ, including:

Due to its robust economy and status as a global manufacturing powerhouse, it’s no surprise that over 77% of companies are operating in China. However, the vast majority of these companies are unable to successfully navigate China’s complex trade environment, characterized by ever changing trade regulations that vary by region.

This brand new report from the Aberdeen Group, China Trade Operations: Trends and Advancements, provides in-depth insights into the complexities of China trade operations, and explains how a China Trade Management (CTM) solution can help companies:

Evaluate and optimize trade operations across General and Processing Trade

The Journal of Commerce’s annual Top 100 Importers and Exporters ranking begins with data from PIERS that is then enhanced by information gathered from other industry sources. The lists are restricted to shippers — beneficial cargo owners of containerized cargo that entered or exited U.S. ports by ocean vessel during 2013. These rankings represent our best approximation of the total international oceanborne shipments by these companies and their subsidiaries.

In addition to our annual ranking of top U.S. importers and exporters, this whitepaper provides expert analysis on the market forces impacting beneficial cargo owners and transportation providers, including:

Contract negotiations between the ILWU and west coast ports

The introduction of post-Panamax ships to U.S. trade lanes

The impact of the recent service contracting season on container rates

With 85% of companies engaged in overseas operations, changes in labor rates and fluctuating fuel prices can have a major impact on profits and the global economy. That’s why it’s no surprise that over 76% of companies are reassessing their inbound supply-demand network to consider Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs).

The food industry has made great strides in bringing perishable goods from the West Coast to East Coast markets in a safe and timely fashion. Yet even with today’s network of refrigerated rail cars, trucks, and intermodal containers, shippers of fresh produce, frozen foods, temperature-sensitive liquids, and other perishable goods face numerous hurdles to ensure that their products arrive on time, unspoiled, and with adequate remaining shelf life. Read Railex's whitepaper that will help guide you through the options. Learn the pitfalls and the opportunities that you must consider to ship your product safely and effectively.

Con-way Multimodal launches a Twitter application called Tweet-load to match carriers with available freight, while a Dutch designer conceptualizes the world’s first intelligent highway equipped with groundbreaking technology that allows electric cars to charge in motion.

3D printing technology for prototyping and manufacturing products has already taken hold with printers able to turn out aerospace parts, customized food products and even human tissue.

Revolutionary new methods of automation, communication and collaboration are set to transform the supply chain, customer service and operational effectiveness as we know it.

This whitepaper aims to shake up your thinking and put you one step ahead of what’s trending in order to keep your business relevant. Five areas have been identified to give you the roadmap that will carry your supply chain strategy into the future.

According to a recent Zurich Insurance Group survey, 73% of organizations recorded at least one supply chain disruption in 2012, with unplanned IT or telecom outages the lead culprits. And, in 2012, global supply chain crime amounted to $21.5 billion in losses.

As supply chain complexity increases, addressing all of the risks that make your supply chain vulnerable is impossible without the proper tools and support. Why? Today’s supply chains go beyond just cargo: they include critical infrastructure such as power grids, communications, IT, assets and service.

This combined with the demand for low-cost supply chain logistics and transportation, and the need for greater supply chain efficiency, can lead to inconsistently enforced security procedures and a supply chain less flexible to stresses and disruptions.

Learning how to effectively protect and manage your supply chains via automation, and productively respond to stresses, can yield important benefits.

According to a study released by Brookings Institution, significant trade reforms are needed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from the Internet as a platform for e-commerce and international trade.

The study by Joshua Meltzer, Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution, cites a host of global barriers critical to the movement of goods and services transacted online. Key cites a host of global barriers critical to the movement of goods and services transacted online. Key recommendations include:

·Reforming customs procedures

·Raising the de minimis level on goods of low value

·Allowing the free flow of data across borders

·Securing an international payment system and method for dispute settlement

·Ensuring a level playing field to allow for competitive international delivery services